ARUSHA, TANZANIA
The official opening of the Economic Diplomacy Course for Uganda’s Trade Attachés at the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI)–Trade Policy Training Centre in Africa (TRAPCA), held in Arusha, Tanzania, underscored the critical role of Uganda’s foreign missions in advancing the country’s trade, investment, tourism, and economic development agenda through commercial diplomacy.
The Consul General of the Uganda High Commission in Arusha, H.E. Amb. Anne Katusiime, at the opening ceremony alongside Dr. Caiphas Chekoti, Head of ESAMI–TRAPCA, Mr. Cleopas Ndorere, Commissioner for External Trade, representing the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives. In her keynote remarks, Ambassador Katusiime emphasized the increasingly strategic role of Trade Attachés in supporting Uganda’s economic transformation by promoting exports, attracting quality investment, facilitating tourism, strengthening commercial partnerships, and identifying new market opportunities for Ugandan products and services.
She noted that economic diplomacy has become a central pillar of Uganda’s foreign policy, requiring diplomats to actively contribute to national development by expanding market access, supporting exporters, mobilising investment, and strengthening bilateral and regional economic cooperation.
Amb. Katusiime further reaffirmed that trade remains one of the strongest drivers of regional integration within the East African Community (EAC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). She welcomed the forthcoming deployment of a Trade Attaché to the Uganda Consulate in Arusha, describing the initiative as an important step towards strengthening Uganda’s trade and investment engagement with Tanzania while enhancing coordination within the East African region. She stated that Uganda continues to maintain strong trade relations with its regional partners as the East African Community remains Uganda’s largest export destination, accounting for a significant share of the country’s manufactured exports, agricultural products, and services.
Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to rank among Uganda’s principal export markets, while the implementation of the AfCFTA presents new opportunities for Ugandan businesses to access a market of more than 1.4 billion people with a combined Gross Domestic Product exceeding US$3 trillion. Amb. Anne observed that strengthening the capacity of Trade Attachés is essential to enabling Uganda to fully leverage these regional and continental market opportunities. She noted that well-equipped commercial diplomats play a crucial role in supporting exporters, addressing non-tariff barriers, facilitating business partnerships, and promoting Uganda as a competitive destination for trade and investment.
Through practical and applied learning, participants were equipped with the knowledge and skills required to promote Uganda’s exports, facilitate investment, identify emerging market opportunities, address market-access challenges, negotiate commercial partnerships, and effectively advance Uganda’s economic interests in regional and international markets.
The programme reflects the Government of Uganda’s continued commitment to strengthening economic diplomacy by building a professional cadre of Trade Attachés capable of delivering measurable outcomes in export promotion, investment attraction, regional integration, and sustainable economic development. As Uganda expands its commercial engagement across Africa and beyond, such capacity-building initiatives are expected to further enhance the country’s competitiveness, support private sector growth, and contribute to the realization of Uganda’s national development priorities.
